Clinical Tip: A handy reminder for reducing nursemaid's elbow

Before reducing nursemaid's elbow, I often rehearse the procedure mentally or "perform" the maneuver on the parent's arm to demonstrate what I am going to do. To keep the sequence of events straight in my mind, I use the reminder phrase "stop and slap the face." At the beginning of the reduction, the patient's hand is extended palm down, as if stopping traffic; at the end of the reduction, the palm is turned upward toward the patient's face.

Wanda Lo, MDSan Luis Obispo, Calif.